Saturday, July 7, 2007

I Love The Leash :)

So my sisters and I went to the mall today. Ander was in his stroller, and he really does great in his stroller. I always give him breaks outside of it (playing in the play area and riding the carousel) and he knows this and looks forward to them. I also give him special treats in the mall, so he doesn't mind sitting, 'cause, well, he's sufficiently bribed.

Knowing this, I warned my sisters. "Do not take him out of his stroller." I shook my finger at them. "Don't do it." A flash of inspiration hit. "'Cause if you do, he'll have to wear this." I pulled out the doggie backpack tether, a.k.a. the leash (let's just call it what it is and not be pretentious, huh?).

Sure enough, ten minutes in, a crazy sister (the one who hasn't reproduced yet, as you might imagine) took him out. So I strapped on the leash and handed her the handle. She was embarrased and appalled.

Ander LOVED it. He got to run a little ahead of us, and he liked that. Please, he'd go up to mirrors and pet the doggie on his back, and pet the doggy paws around his tummy.

My sister was dying. People thought it was her kid, of course, and the comments were flying.

"How cute.""Oh, look at the little puppy.""Did you see that kid? He was on a leash, like a dog."

After a while, my sisters and I would burst out laughing every time we heard a whisper behind our back. LMAO. I was just amazing that so many people (seriously, at least ten) thought that it was their business.

Here's what I learned. The leash is effective and Ander loves it. We were much more relaxed shopping with him, and he thought it was a great adventure.

The rest of the world, at least in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is not ready for the leash, even on a happy, smiling kid.

My sisters and I will always use the leash now, because life is more fun that way!

5 comments:

Stac Cole
said...

Believe it or not, I actually think that the "leash" is a good idea. I mean, with all the cases of child abduction and other horrible things, what better way to have a hand (or an extension thereof) on your kid at all times? And if it's fun for Ander, then that's all that really matters!

A generation ago I heard & read about people making negative comments about using a harness and leash for a child, but that didn't stop me because I was more concerned about my daughter's safety. To my surprise, the comments I heard tended to be about the safety of it, or how cute she was. And of course she loved the relative freedom. She didn't use it very long--she soon got old enough to not just wander or run off.

I didn't try using 2 leashes at once for twins--they just had to ride in the stroller longer.

My grandmother told me that they used a harness and leash on camping trips to keep my uncle (who would probably have an ADHD diagnosis now) from drowning in the river/getting lost in the woods/etc. They heard plenty of negative comments about treating him like a dog but considered keeping him alive more important than his dignity. Wearing a leash didn't prevent him from growing up to be a scientist.

Wal-mart. There are monkeys and puppies. We have puppy. That's what I call it. Ander, lets put on puppy. He he. Of course, I still usually hold his hand and I don't use it to drag him around or pull him back (which would be very leash-like) but more as a reminder that he can walk away from mommy, but not to far. I tell him to "bring puppy back" and he turns and walks back to me.